Christmas Gooey Butter Cookies
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These Christmas Gooey Butter Cookies are the most popular recipe on my blog every holiday season, and it is easy to see why. They are soft, made with cake mix and cream cheese, and finished with red and green sprinkles, making them perfect for any holiday occasion.
Easy Christmas Gooey Butter Cookies with Cake Mix
These cookies are a fun play on classic gooey butter cake, with cream cheese giving them their soft texture. This is one of my favorite cake mix cookie bases, and I use the same base for my Strawberry Kiss Cake Mix Cookies.
I have baked hundreds of cake mix cookies over the years, and my Cake Mix Christmas Cookies and Grinch Crinkle Cookies are still two of my holiday favorites. I love cake mix cookies and Christmas baking so much that I even wrote The Shortcut Christmas Cookie Collection, a book filled with easy Christmas cookies made with cake mix.
Watch the video tutorial below to see how to make Christmas Gooey Butter Cookies, including the thick dough texture, powdered sugar coating, and how the cookies should look when they come out of the oven.
Ingredients
- Full-fat, brick-style cream cheese – Cream cheese gives the cookies their soft texture and helps form the thick dough. Do not use spreadable cream cheese from a tub.
- Unsalted butter – Use softened butter, not melted butter, so it blends smoothly with the cream cheese and gives the dough the correct consistency.
- Egg – The egg binds the ingredients and adds structure to the cookies.
- Vanilla extract – Enhances the cookie’s flavor.
- Yellow cake mix – Use one 15.25 ounce box of yellow cake mix. I tested this recipe with Duncan Hines, and using a smaller box may change the texture, spread, and number of cookies.
- Powdered sugar – Rolling the dough in powdered sugar gives the cookies their crackled white coating.
- Christmas sprinkles – Red and green sprinkles add color throughout the cookies. Fold them into the dough gently to limit color bleeding.
How to Make Christmas Gooey Butter Cookies
- Prep – Preheat the oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Mix the wet ingredients – In a large bowl, beat the softened cream cheese, butter, egg, and vanilla extract with an electric mixer until smooth.
- Add the cake mix – Stir in the cake mix until a thick, sticky dough forms.
- Fold in the sprinkles – Gently fold in holiday sprinkles. Be careful not to overmix so the color of the sprinkles doesn’t bleed into the dough.
- Roll the dough – Scoop the dough into balls using a 2-tablespoon scoop and roll them in powdered sugar until fully coated.
- Bake – Place the dough balls on the prepared baking sheet, about 2 inches apart, and bake for 10-12 minutes, until the edges are set but the centers still look slightly soft.
- Cool – Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Variations and Substitutions
- Different cake mixes – Yellow cake mix gives these cookies their classic flavor, but white or vanilla cake mix can also be used. Choose a 15.25 ounce box for results closest to the original recipe.
- Add extracts – Replace the vanilla with almond extract for a different flavor. Peppermint extract can also be used, but it is much stronger, so add it sparingly.
- Mix-ins – Fold in 1/2 cup of mini chocolate chips or crushed candy canes along with the sprinkles for extra flavor. One reader reported using crushed candy canes successfully for a Christmas cookie contest.
- Color the dough – Add a few drops of red or green gel food coloring to the dough for a festive look, or split the dough in half and color each portion to make both colors.
- Skip the sprinkles – If you’re not a fan of sprinkles, you can leave them out. Of course, if you do this, the cookies will be just Gooey Butter Cookies, not Christmas ones.
- Sanding sugar – Roll the dough balls in colored sanding sugar instead of powdered sugar for a different finish. The cookies will not have the same white crackled coating.
- Make them gluten free – One reader reported success using a 15.25 ounce gluten free cake mix. I have not personally tested this substitution, so results may vary by brand.
Tips for Success
- Use full-fat brick cream cheese – For the best results, use full-fat brick-style cream cheese. Avoid the spreadable kind, as it can make the dough too soft.
- Use the correct cake mix size – This recipe was tested with a 15.25 ounce Duncan Hines yellow cake mix. A smaller box can change the texture, spread, and number of cookies.
- Room temperature ingredients – They should be soft enough to beat smoothly but should not be melted.
- Do NOT chill the dough – Bake the cookies after mixing and rolling them. Chilled dough does not spread as well and may leave the cookies tall and cakey.
- Expect sticky dough – Gooey butter cookie dough is thick and sticky. A cookie scoop helps portion it evenly.
- Don’t overbake – The cookies should still look slightly soft in the center when you take them out of the oven. They’ll firm up as they cool.
- Evenly space the dough balls – Place the dough balls at least 2 inches apart on the baking sheet to allow for spreading.
- Roll thoroughly in powdered sugar – Make sure the dough balls are well-coated in powdered sugar for the best crackled look after baking.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do not chill the dough, and use a 15.25 ounce box of cake mix. Cake mix size, ingredient temperature, and dough ball size can all change how much the cookies spread.
Yes. The centers should still look soft when the cookies come out of the oven. They will firm as they cool, but the inside should remain soft.
The baked cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Refrigerating them is optional, but it will give them a firmer texture.
For the most consistent spread and yield, use a 15.25 ounce box. A smaller cake mix contains less dry mixture and may change the result.
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Did you try these Ooey Gooey Butter Cookies? Leave a rating and comment below, and tell me which cake mix and sprinkles you used.
Christmas Gooey Butter Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
- 8 ounces brick-style, full-fat cream cheese softened (I used Philadelphia)
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 (15.25 ounce) box of yellow cake mix (I used Duncan Hines)
- 1/2 cup holiday sprinkles
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, beat together the softened cream cheese, butter, egg, and vanilla extract with an electric mixer until smooth.
- Stir in the cake mix until a thick dough forms.
- Gently fold in holiday sprinkles, being careful not to overmix so the color of the sprinkles doesn’t bleed into the dough.
- Portion the dough into balls using a 2-tablespoon scoop and roll them in powdered sugar until fully coated.
- Place the dough balls on the prepared baking sheets, about 2 inches apart, and bake for 10-12 minutes, until the edges are set but the centers still look slightly soft.
- Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Notes
- Use a 15.25 ounce box of yellow cake mix. This recipe was tested with Duncan Hines.
- Use full fat brick style cream cheese, not spreadable cream cheese from a tub.
- Do not chill the dough because cold dough may not spread properly.
- The dough will be thick and sticky. A cookie scoop helps portion it evenly.
- Store the cookies in a single layer in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
- The cookies can be frozen for up to 3 months in an airtight container or freezer bag. Thaw at room temperature before serving.
Nutrition
Disclaimer: Nutrition information is estimated based on automated calculations and should be considered as an approximation. These estimates are provided as a courtesy. Please use your own brand’s nutritional values to verify accuracy.
This sounds delicious! I have rainbow candy chips and wonder if I can use this instead of sprinkles?
I’ve never tried with rainbow chips, but I imagine they will work fine.
I ordered groceries online and they gave me 1/3 less fat in error for the cream cheese. Am I doomed???
Has anyone tried mini M & M’s instead of sprinkles?
I haven’t tried making them with mini M&Ms, but I think it should work just fine.
This cookie recipe turned out very nice! I used sugar crystals as I was out of sprinkles. My granddaughter is going to love these.
Mine didn’t flatten out..what did I do wrong? They were delicious but not as pretty as the picture! Lol
I’m so glad you enjoyed them! I’ve never had them not spread before, so I’m wondering if it might have been the cream cheese. Did you use block-style cream cheese rather than the spreadable kind in a tub? That can make a difference! Also, cake mix sizes are all over the place these days. I almost exclusively use Duncan Hines, which is 15.25 ounces, so if the mix you used was a different size, that could be a factor too.
The recipe didn’t say what kind of cream cheese – what did you use?
Philadelphia full-fat block-style cream cheese
So soft, easy to make and delicious!!
SUPERRRR easy to make and delicious ❤️
Can a gluten free cake mix be used? Will any of the other ingredients need to be changed?
I’ve not made these with a gluten-free mix before, but I imagine it should work fine if the mix is a 15.25 ounce box.
@Mandy,
I used a gluten free cake mix and they turned out great. It was the most popular cookie at our party!
Hey! These cookies sound delicious and I can’t wait to make them on Christmas. When you say softened cream cheese, would you recommend block or tub? And which brand would you recommend
Definitely block cream cheese. I use Philadelphia brand when I bake.
Can you store in the fridge?
Yes, they will just have a firmer texture.
Mine didn’t flatten either. I used a 2tbsp scoop for the dough. I think that’s about a1 1/2 inch. 12 cookies on a sheet. I used block full fat cream cheese also. My sprinkles totally bled into the dough almost immediately so my cookies look more like tie dye. I did not realize that the cake mixes are different in size now, so I used Betty Crocker which I found out just before using, was 13+ oz. Maybe put that tip in the main part of the recipe instead of in the comments. I only got 2 dozen cookies which would make sense since the mix was less ounces. I don’t understand why they didn’t spread as flat though. I baked 14 minutes and the center was still pretty soft. They’re pretty tasty still.
I made these for a Christmas party and everyone loved them! They were all asking who made them, definitely a hit! And will make again 🙂
Can I use reduced fat cream cheese
I haven’t used reduced fat, but I imagine it should be OK. I would avoid fat free cream cheese though.
I made these for a work cookie contest.
I added crushed candy cane. They were a hit. I had several people ask for the recipe.
Thanks
Im making these for a vegetarian who doesn’t eat egg. Could I substitute egg for banana? If so, how much banana would you recommend? Or are there any other substitutes that would work better?
@MN, Hi! I am vegan, you can use unsweetened applesauce or a flax egg mixture. For flax egg, use one tablespoon of ground flax seed mixed with three tablespoons of water. stir it together and let it firm up! will provide the binding. Just google vegan egg substitute apple sauce for the other, cant remember off the top of my head.
So yummy!! I’m scared they’re undercooked cuz they’re so soft?!!!
The cookies are very soft when baked and have a gooey texture.
I followed the directions exactly and they didn’t spread out. I used block cream cheese so no clue.
Can this be made without cake mix? Hard to find in Europe! Plus it’s Xmas Eve 😊
I don’t have a recipe for the cookies without cake mix unfortunately. Cake mix containers flour, sugar, salt and levening ingredients but I am not sure of the exact ratios for a homemade option.
These turned out perfectly! I rolled them in green and red sugar for a little extra holiday color and they looked and tasted amazing!
Loved this recipe it was so easy and cooked so well!
10/10 ate them all in a day. Wok make again!!
Love this recipe, it looks so delicious.
Can the dough be frozen before baking? I want to make ahead of time.
Yes, scoop the dough and freeze the balls. Thaw in the fridge and then roll in powdered sugar before baking.
Just want to clarify in the recipe it calls for a 1/2 cup of cream cheese, does that go in the dough or is it just to roll the batter in before cooking?
Thanks so much for checking! The recipe uses one full block of cream cheese, and that gets mixed right into the dough. The 1/2 cup of powdered sugar is only for rolling the dough balls before baking. No powdered sugar goes into the dough itself. Hope that helps, and let me know if you have any other questions!
I only have salted butter sadly, do you think that it will make much of a difference?
That will be fine.
Not sure what happened to mine, but flattened out paper thin? Any thoughts.
What brand and size of cake mix did you use? If it was a smaller box that could be the issue. Did you use room temperature butter or melted?
They taste good but are kinda like a cupcake top–very cakey in texture and not like a cookie. i used full fat block cream cheese and butter at room temp and Duncan hines. Not sure what happened. They taste good but are like eating a piece of cake……
I wonder if they may have been slightly overbaked. They should still have soft centers when removed from the oven.
Just made these…. amazing. Mine didn’t flatten but grew into nice round puffs which I love because when I bite into them they are so airy it’s like a cupcake. This batch is for a needy family and since it only made 2 dozens I’ll be making another batch this weekend just for me. Haha
I don’t have yellow cake mix. Can I substitute cake flour?
Unfortunately, cake flour won’t work here. Yellow cake mix is more than just flour. It already has sweeteners and leaveners mixed in, so the swap would throw off the recipe. You’d be better off looking for a from-scratch gooey butter cookie recipe instead. I haven’t made them from scratch myself, so I don’t have one to share, but there are plenty of good versions out there.
lol! I accidentally added all the sprinkles to the batter. it wasnt as pretty as your photo, but your recipe tasted great! thanks
Do you think we could use different cake box flavors? I’m thinking strawberry cake mix (I’d leave out the sprinkles) let me know if that could work
Yes! I actually have a strawberry cake cookie that uses the same base and it’s delicious! You can omit the kisses. https://semihomemadekitchen.com/strawberry-kiss-cake-mix-cookies/